Floating along

Patience, a new apartment, a good book, New York fall

Hello, sweet people!

Someone recently suggested to me that the reason job hunts are so hard is that they’re entirely defined by rejection. Rejection, rejection, rejection, JOB! The job hunt is just a cycle of rejection with no glimmers of approval until it’s over, and then you’re flung into a job for the foreseeable future. (I’m spacing on who said this to me…reveal yourself, please!) 

Anyway, I’m in the thick of the job hunt myself right now, applying to editorial positions whenever they come up and seeking other forms of income in the meantime. It’s not so brutal; I like seeing what’s out there and meeting new people, and I consider myself a strong applicant for the jobs I’m pursuing. But at the same time, it’s not easy; there are a lot of unknowns, and I have rent to pay. Editorial jobs in the food space don’t surface terribly often, even here in food media’s epicenter, so landing a gig is a matter of patience and persistence. Whew. It’s a lot, but also: it’s okay. I know that I’ll get a job, and I know that I can hustle and make it work for as long as I need to. I’ve done it before! I’m just trying to be transparent here about the cuckoo-ness of life and jobs and New York City.

Speaking of rent, Teo and I are moving in together soon with another couple — friends of ours whom Teo lives with currently. We found a charming 2-bedroom apartment in Boerum Hill, an area of Brooklyn I’ve fantasized about inhabiting for a while now. Boerum Hill is a small neighborhood with lots of tree-lined streets and brownstones, with easy access to train lines and the commercial streets of Atlantic Avenue and Smith Street. Our building is within walking distance of some of my favorite food-shopping establishments like Paisano’s, a legendary butcher shop, and Sahadi’s, a Middle-Eastern grocery store with all of the nuts and spices and olives you could ever desire. Oh, and we’re sandwiched between two of my favorite parks: Fort Greene and Prospect, both of which host exceptional farmers’ markets. I’m historically much happier living in Brooklyn than in Manhattan, and I have such a warm feeling about this apartment.

New apartment scheming from a neighborhood coffee shop

When I’m not job-hunting and fantasizing about our new digs, I’m watching Barefoot Contessa reruns, averaging 12k steps a day, doodling, cooking, and reading an excellent book called Building: A Carpenter’s Notes on Life & the Art of Good Work by Mark Ellison. A dear family friend Blyth recommended the book after hearing about it on NPR, and I’m loving it so much. Since I’m reading a library copy, I can’t scribble on the pages themselves, so I’m using a piece of paper as a bookmark and writing notes on there instead. 

One such quotation I’ve jotted down reads as follows: “Interesting people are interesting because they have interests — interests they often pursue simply because they find them interesting.” I agree with this perspective, and Ellison is most certainly an interesting person. He writes elegantly and thoughtfully about his interests, including but not limited to carpentry, and shares what he’s learned about life along the way. While I float along in this transitional phase, it’s comforting to receive lessons from a human who’s more experienced at human-ing.

It’s been a gorgeous few days in New York — bright and ever so slightly crisp — and Princess Diana outfits (i.e., bike shorts and sweatshirts) abound. I’ve officially broken out my thick navy cardigan for the season; I’m considering making a fermented garlic-honey concoction to stave off sickness; I’m suddenly desperate for a stack of malty gingerbread pancakes. It’s fall, for sure.

That’s all for today. I welcome responses and advice, as always, and hope that you’re all taking good care of yourselves.

Warmly,

Phoebe